My Favorite Fiction Reads of Summer 2018

It’s been a while since I’ve done a seasonal write-up on what I’ve read recently – and boy, it feels good to do one again. Maybe it’s because I read some FANTASTIC books over the past couple months, including a few that might end up near the top of my year-end favorites list. But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? We still have three months left in 2018. Who knows how the rest of the year will play out reading-wise, for all of us? 😉

Anyway. Over the summer, I read 13 books, bringing my year-to-date total to 41. Out of those 13, the eight I’m highlighting today are ones I rated 4 stars or higher on Goodreads. (You might be able to guess a few of them from the banner image above. *wink*) If you’d like to check out my complete review of any of these books on Goodreads, click the link in each book’s title.

My Favorite Fiction Reads of Summer 2018

I try to avoid clichés when discussing a book, but “bewitching” and “ambrosial” are perfect for this reimagining of the tale of Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios and the sorceress in Homer’s The Odyssey. It chronicles her girlhood as a lonely misfit in her father’s halls, to her discovery of transformation-based witchcraft, to her deserted-island exile and her impact on some of Greek mythology’s most famous figures. I was deeply drawn in by the characters, the setting, the magic, the prose – everything about this book, really. And even though Circe is character-driven, so much happens during the novel’s millennium-plus span, and so we witness Circe’s choices, loves, loneliness, and fears in all their rippling, breathing glory.

How many YA fantasies with an anti-heroine have you read? Not many, I’m guessing? Then consider Forest of a Thousand Lanterns a work of rarely traveled territory, and one that’s done surprisingly well. Julie C. Dao puts an East Asian spin on the Evil Queen legend, crafting a young villainess-in-the-making who aspires to fulfill the destiny shown in her aunt’s oracle cards. But in order for Xifung to become who she’s meant to be, she must use the magic that’s within her – magic that comes alive when she eats the hearts of those recently killed. Darkly atmospheric and smartly paced, this book favors ambition over romance and is full of sensual detail, moral dilemmas, and unexpected vulnerability. Because even though Xifung knows what she wants, it doesn’t mean that her choices are easy – or that they won’t break her heart.

What a finale to Hartley’s Steeplejack series! It’s also the most political book in the series, continuing to explore the themes of race and social justice through events that feel like they were ripped from recent headlines. The stakes for Anglet and the people of Bar-Selehm, especially the black and colored populations, are so high that I spent most of Guardian terrified for Ang and the other characters I cared about. This book (and the series as a whole) may take place in a fictional setting, but it deserves to be in the same conversation with well-known contemporary novels like Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give and Ibi Zoboi’s American Street.

After loving Jemisin’s Inheritance and Broken Earth trilogies, I read both of her Dreamblood novels over the summer. The Killing Moon is the first book in the series; and without getting into too much detail, it’s about assassin priests, two neighboring countries on the brink of war, and the realm of dreams. Jemisin’s worldbuilding is phenomenal once again, combining Freudian dream psychology with ancient Egypt and Nubia to create a setting that feels ancient, hypnotic, and surreal. The twists didn’t surprise me as much as those in other Jemisin novels have, but the story was still intriguing, the ending haunting, and the character relationships intricate and complex. I also read its sequel The Shadowed Sun, but found it a little disturbing.

This first book in Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky Trilogy acts more like the first third of a larger story than a standalone novel launching a series. In a continent inspired by 12th and 13th century Central Asia (think the Middle East, Mongolia, and China stretch of the Silk Road), the grandson of the late Great Khan and a princess-turned-wizard join forces against a sorcerous cult that threatens all of the peoples living under the Eternal Sky. By the end of the book, it’s clear their work has only just begun. But the thrilling climax and the satisfying ending balance the thin line between closure and cliffhanger surprisingly well. And everything leading up to those scenes – deception and intrigue, human-tiger hybrids and giant hawks, a vividly rendered setting, and well-rounded characters – make Range of Ghosts a breathtaking introduction to a mystical world on the verge of all-out war.

Somehow I had an inaccurate impression of what The Time Traveler’s Wife would be about. So a large number of the “romantic” scenes seemed… weird, I guess? (You can “unhide” the spoiler alerts in my Goodreads review if you’d like to know more.) But other aspects of this time travel / magical realism classic are brilliant. The nonlinear structure, Henry’s ability to involuntarily slip back and forth through time, the consequences of that ability that impact Henry and his loved ones, a cast of layered and realistic characters, the questions that Niffenegger raises about love, fate versus choice, and time’s impact on relationships… It’s an intricate, thought-provoking story with a premise that’s more haunting that it seems, especially once you read the last 50 pages.

I remember researching Indigenous American peoples in school and developing an admiration for their ways of life (and sympathy for the atrocities they endured at the hands of white people). So I was thrilled to hear about Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning (Roanhorse is a member of Ohkay Owingeh and a Navajo in-law), and now I’ll sing from the rooftops for it. This book is set in the Navajo reservation, or Dinétah, after climate change results in a mostly flooded America and follows monster-hunter Maggie Hoskie as she attempts to find a missing girl – and discovers a monster that is more terrifying than anything she’s ever seen. It’s gritty, action-packed, and full of the biting humor and horrific creatures you’d expect from urban fantasy. But thanks to its flawed kick-butt protagonist, the deep delving into Navajo culture and lore, and moments of raw vulnerability, it’s a truly compelling read.

I need to stop borrowing books from my friends – because I usually want my own copy afterwards! (*lol*) That was the case with The Tropic of Serpents, the second installment of Marie Brennan’s fictional memoirs about dragon naturalist Lady Isabella Trent. This book sees Isabella and two of her colleagues off on an expedition to the tropical, Africa-inspired continent of Eriga to study – what else? – more dragons. And like in A Natural History of Dragons, she manages to get herself embroiled in trouble along the way. 😉 There’s so much to enjoy in this book, but Isabella herself continues to be the biggest draw for me. She may be a scholar at heart, but her courage for science’s sake, complicated relationship with motherhood, and empathy for the people of Eriga make her incredibly believable and endearing.

What I’m Planning to Read This Fall

Between a few brand-newbies coming out this fall and my TBR pile, here are some of the books I’m planning to read over the next couple months:

Oh yes yes yes, Tammy, please make time for Circe! It’s such a beautiful story, and beautifully written without being too “purple prose-ish.” ❤

Re: The Killing Moon – I actually recommend checking out Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy before her Dreamblood books. She actually wrote those two novels (or at least TKM) before she wrote The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, so the Dreamblood novels aren't as cleverly crafted. The worldbuilding is incredible, yes. But the narrative twists that you might be used to seeing in her Broken Earth books aren't there.

I am so happy to see both Circe and Trail of Lightning made it onto the list! And AHHHH, the Lady Trent series, I LOVES IT. I think you will enjoy the rest of the series, personally I think the books get better and better 🙂

You are very much responsible for my investing in both books, Mogsy. 😉 So thank you! And I can’t freakin’ wait to read the other Lady Trent books. Sadly my friend doesn’t have the third book yet… But really, I should just get the whole series for my collection now, right?

“Ambrosial” is very high praise for a book. Can’t wait to read Circe.
And “assassin priests”??!! I gotta try Killing Moon too.
I like your TBR because Lies of Locke Lamora and Practical Magic are on it. Those are two books I’d love to read. My plan for fall is to avoid to the library and read my own damn books. Well, I’ll try to. I recently completed Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, which was awesome! I’m not even a Springsteen fan and hadn’t really listened to his music or known any of his songs before reading the book. But it was such a great read. It’s now one of my favs and I’m surprised at that because I listened to the audiobook. He narrates the audiobook and did a great job. So that I completed today. Yesterday, I completed the Book of Hidden Things by Italian author Francesco Dmitri. It’s fantasy and is his debut English novel and it’s SOO good!! I was hooked the whole time and I can’t stop thinking of it. I’m still processing the story in my mind.

I hope you like Circe! And LOL to the excitement over assassin priests. XD That’s what they are in a nutshell, though there’s more to them besides that.

I have a feeling I might not be going to the library for a while, either. A number of 2018 books I’ve really been looking forward to are coming out over the next few weeks. So my TBR pile is basically going to explode. XD

The Lies of Locke Lamora is interesting so far. I’m only 100-ish pages in and am taking a break from it only because V.E. SCHWAB’S VENGEFUL HAS ARRIVED MUAHAHAHAHAHA. 😉 But I’ll return to Locke’s story after that.

It’s been ages since I’ve had a chance to return to this blog – I’m thrilled that this was the first post I saw because it was a brilliant one. I’m not gonna hold any grudges against you, Sara, for making me add five books to my TBR. You’re forgiven. (lol)
Fantastic list. Many of these books I’ve either read or been excited to read for a good while. The ones I haven’t heard of sound amazing, especially the Julie C. Dao book because I haven’t read a half-decent YA fantasy in a while, tbh. Thank you! Keep writing! AL ._.

Ashana! I admit, I had to look up your new blog to realize who you were. The initials AL didn’t register at first. XD Sorry about that!

But that’s the purpose of this post – to make you want ALL of the books discussed here. (*evil laughter*) And yes, definitely check out Forest of a Thousand Lanterns if you can. It’s a bit “purple prose-y” in parts (which was my only critique of the story), but otherwise it’s dark and refreshingly unique for a YA fantasy.

It’s so great that you write so many reviews! I keep thinking that I should, but at another point in my life I would have been capable of giving an honest, detailed review about a book I didn’t like, and now I’m at a point where I think a book may not speak to me, but perhaps it would speak to someone else. I’d also hate to break the spirit of another writer with a bad review, because they’re putting in the work and effort and getting their stuff published. I think critiques are great, but I’ve pondered whether they are most helpful coming from people who the author knows and trusts. But then again, reviews are not solely or perhaps even primarily for the author. And I in no way mean to discourage other people from leaving reviews that are less than favorable, I read them and find them valuable at times. I just don’t think I can do it. I should leave reviews for books that I enjoy though. And really when a poor review is well articulated and supported with reasons, that should be enough for a potential reader to evaluate whether those things would bother them or not. I think I’m just convincing myself of why it would be good to write reviews regardless of the number of stars attached to them.
Thanks for sharing, Sara, and unintentionally making me think about the value of writing reviews. 😉

Thanks, Mandie! You made some valid points about the purposes of reviews and deciding whether we should write them. My personal “policy” is to write reviews only for books I’d give 3 stars or higher, and to do my best to keep it to one paragraph. The latter is hard for me to stick to sometimes, though, especially when I’m so excited about a book. The only reason why I don’t write reviews for anything that I’d give less than 3 stars to is because I don’t find writing negative reviews to be a good use of my time. Yes, it might help someone decide whether they might want to read that book (or not), but at the end of the day there’s only so much time I have for writing.

Range of Ghosts looks fascinating! I’ll add that to my TBR pile.
Currently I’m reading Mistborn #2. I should have gotten to it sooner than I did, but so many new books were stealing my attention. I did just finish reading Wolf by Wolf #2, and…wow. That ending. How am I going to recover?

Yes, Range of Ghosts was very good! I’m definitely going to rent Books 2 and 3 of that series from the library. But sooooo many new books I’m looking forward to are coming out this fall, so finishing the series might not happen until next year. XD

Ahhh, the Mistborn series! Another series I want to finish as well. That will have to be a 2019 goal, I think. Hope you enjoy Book 2!

Blood for Blood… Oh, yes. That ending hurt. But it made sense, too, especially in terms of Luka’s arc.

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Welcome! I’m Sara Letourneau.

Speculative fiction writer for teens and adults. Columnist at DIY MFA and Writers Helping Writers. Published poet, former tea reviewer and music journalist. Avid reader, tea-holic, and music lover. My heart belongs to the beaches of Cape Cod.

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